Platter of tzatziki, beet and herb yogurt dips with vegetables and pita
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Greek Yogurt Dip Recipes You Can Make at Home

ByCraig Brockie Last updated

These four Greek yogurt dip recipes all start with plain Greek yogurt: a cucumber-dill tzatziki, a ranch-style herb dip, a cumin-spiced beet dip and a cinnamon-vanilla fruit dip. None needs cooking, each takes 15 minutes or less of hands-on time, and each makes about 2 cups, or 8 servings of 1/4 cup.

Thick Greek yogurt can replace sour cream or mayonnaise in a dip, a swap Washington State University Extension suggests for strained yogurt. Per 100 grams, USDA lists plain whole-milk Greek yogurt at 97 calories, 9 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat; sour cream has 198 calories, 2.4 grams of protein and 19.4 grams of fat. Store-bought or homemade Greek yogurt both work. Because nothing is heated, live cultures in the yogurt are not exposed to heat, which kills them above 130°F (54°C) (University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension).

Greek yogurt dip recipes at a glance: yield and time

RecipeServings (1/4 cup)Active timeTotal time, including chilling
Tzatziki815 minutes1 hour 15 minutes
Herb ranch-style dip810 minutes40 minutes
Spiced beet dip810 minutes40 minutes
Cinnamon-vanilla fruit dip815 minutes, with fruit15 minutes

Tzatziki (cucumber, garlic and dill dip)

The classic Greek cucumber and yogurt dip, adapted from Oregon State University Extension’s Food Hero cucumber yogurt dip and MyPlate Kitchen’s cucumber, yogurt and herb dip, with olive oil added.

Tzatziki with cucumber and dill

Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Cucumber Dip)

A cool cucumber, garlic and dill dip made with plain Greek yogurt. Serve it with pita, raw vegetables or grilled meat.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (about 1/4 cup each)
Course: Appetizer, Dip
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 60
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt 12 oz (340 g); whole milk or 2%
  • 1 medium cucumber about 8 oz (225 g)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove finely grated or minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped, or fresh mint
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water. Scrub the cucumber under cool running water with a clean produce brush.
  2. Trim the ends of the cucumber. If the seeds are large, halve it lengthwise and scoop them out with a spoon. Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater.
  3. Wrap the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel, or press it in a fine strainer, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Discard the liquid.
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, squeezed cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, salt and pepper.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir, taste, and add a little more lemon juice or salt if needed before serving.

Notes

Keep refrigerated until serving and do not leave out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days.
  • Scrub the cucumber under running water with a clean produce brush before grating, as the FDA advises for firm produce.
  • Squeeze the grated cucumber hard; leftover juice thins the dip as it sits.

Herb ranch-style dip

A pantry dip with the onion, dill and garlic flavors of ranch, adapted from MyPlate Kitchen’s creamy vegetable dip, which seasons plain yogurt with dried onion, parsley, garlic powder and dill. Greek yogurt makes it thicker.

Herb ranch-style Greek yogurt dip

Herb Ranch-Style Greek Yogurt Dip

A thick, pantry-friendly vegetable dip with the onion, dill and garlic flavors of ranch dressing, made with plain Greek yogurt and dried herbs.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (about 1/4 cup each)
Course: Appetizer, Dip
Cuisine: American
Calories: 60
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt 16 oz (454 g); whole milk or 2%
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk optional, to thin

Method
 

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir the yogurt, dried onion, parsley, dill, garlic powder, pepper and salt until smooth.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the dried onion and herbs soften.
  4. Stir before serving. If the dip is too thick, stir in milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
  5. Serve with raw vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks, cauliflower, jicama, bell pepper or cucumber.

Notes

Nutrition excludes the optional milk. Keep refrigerated until serving and do not leave out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Use leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
  • Chill it at least 30 minutes so the dried onion and herbs soften.
  • The MyPlate recipe suggests cauliflower, carrot and celery sticks, jicama, bell pepper or cucumber for dipping.
  • Thinned with milk, it doubles as a dressing; more in Savory Greek Yogurt Recipes You Can Make at Home.

Spiced beet dip

Canned beets make this bright pink, cumin-spiced dip a no-cook recipe. It is adapted from the Food Hero beet dip published by MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), with Greek yogurt blended in for a creamier, milder dip.

Spiced beet and Greek yogurt dip

Spiced Beet and Greek Yogurt Dip

A bright pink, no-cook dip of canned beets, Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic and cumin. Serve it with vegetable sticks or pita.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (about 1/4 cup each)
Course: Appetizer, Dip
Cuisine: American
Calories: 45
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can sliced beets about 15 oz, no salt added if available; drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 8 oz (227 g); whole milk or 2%
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  2. Drain the beets in a colander and rinse them under cool running water.
  3. In a blender or food processor, blend the beets, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Without a blender, mash the beets with a potato masher or fork, then stir in the seasonings.
  4. Add the yogurt and pulse briefly, or stir it in by hand, until the dip is evenly pink.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Stir before serving with carrot, celery or jicama sticks, or pita.

Notes

Regular canned beets add sodium; choose no-salt-added cans if you can. Keep refrigerated until serving and do not leave out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Use leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
  • No blender? Mash the beets with a potato masher or fork, as the original recipe suggests.
  • Choose no-salt-added beets if you can, and drain and rinse them as the original directs.

Cinnamon-vanilla fruit dip

A sweet dip for fruit platters, adapted from the Food Hero yogurt fruit dip on MedlinePlus and NDSU Extension’s fresh fruit with cinnamon yogurt dip. Vanilla and cinnamon carry the flavor, so 2 teaspoons of maple syrup is enough for the batch: about 1 gram of added sugar per serving, by USDA data.

Cinnamon-vanilla Greek yogurt fruit dip

Cinnamon-Vanilla Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

A lightly sweetened fruit dip of Greek yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon and a little maple syrup, served with apples, bananas and strawberries.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings (about 1/4 cup dip each)
Course: Dessert, Dip, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 60
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dip
  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt 16 oz (454 g); whole milk or 2%
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To serve
  • 2 apples cored and sliced
  • 2 bananas sliced
  • 2 cups strawberries hulled
  • 1/4 cup orange juice to keep apple and banana slices from browning

Method
 

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water. Rinse the apples and strawberries under running water and dry them with a clean towel.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth. Cover and refrigerate while you cut the fruit.
  3. Core and slice the apples, slice the bananas, and hull the strawberries.
  4. Pour the orange juice into a small bowl and dip the apple and banana slices in it to slow browning.
  5. Set the bowl of dip on a platter, arrange the fruit around it, and serve right away.

Notes

Nutrition is for the dip only, not the fruit; the maple syrup adds about 1 g of added sugar per serving. Do not use honey for babies under 12 months. Do not leave out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F).
  • Rinse fruit under running water and dry it before cutting (FDA).
  • Dip apple and banana slices in orange juice to keep them from browning, as the NDSU recipe does.

Variations

  • Mint tzatziki: use 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint instead of dill, an option the Food Hero recipe gives.
  • Salsa ranch: stir 1/2 cup of salsa into the herb dip.
  • Curry dip: in the herb dip, swap the parsley and dill for 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder and add 1/4 cup of shredded carrot.
  • Chocolate fruit dip: whisk in 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Honey instead of maple syrup: fine for adults, but never for babies under 12 months, because honey can cause botulism (CDC).
  • Lighter: use nonfat Greek yogurt, with about 0.4 grams of fat per 100 grams (USDA) against 5 grams in the whole-milk yogurt the recipe cards assume.

Serving Greek yogurt dips at a party, and storing leftovers

On the platter

Keep dips in the refrigerator until serving. The FDA’s buffet guidance says cold foods should stay at 40°F (4°C) or colder. Bacteria grow fastest between 40°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C), according to USDA FSIS, so discard dip, cut vegetables and cut fruit left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C) (FoodSafety.gov).

For a longer party, set bowls on ice and serve small portions. When a bowl runs low, swap in a fresh one from the refrigerator rather than topping it up, as the FDA advises; guests’ hands can contaminate buffet food. Put a serving spoon in each dip.

Storing leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers, covered, within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days (USDA FSIS). Don’t return dip from the table to the storage container. Clear liquid on top can be stirred back in (NDSU Extension). Don’t freeze these dips: yogurt may separate when frozen (Kansas State University). Throw out any dip with mold (USDA FSIS).

More Greek yogurt recipes and guides

Sources

Craig Brockie is the founder of Ultimate Health Solutions, the company behind Ultimate Gut, and the author of Ultimate Health, The Ultimate Gut Health Guide and The Unlimited Probiotics Guide. After injuries and chronic health problems in his twenties that conventional care didn’t resolve, he began researching health on his own and has studied natural health for 30 years. He is not a medical professional, and his articles are general information, not medical advice.

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